MLBPreview
What channel is Pirates vs. Rays on today? Time, TV schedule, live stream to watch MLB Friday Night Baseball game
Catch the Pirates vs. Rays game today! Hereâs how to watch.
Yahoo Sports1 min read
Sports
Rockets coach Ime Udoka: 'We'll have our hands full' versus Lakers
TL;DR
The Houston Rockets will face the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA playoffs starting April 18, with the Rockets favored to win despite injuries to key Lakers players Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. Rockets coach Ime Udoka acknowledged the challenge posed by LeBron James and the Lakers, who have home-court advantage.
The Los Angeles Lakers will face the Houston Rockets in the first round of the NBA playoffs beginning on Saturday, April 18, and most seem to agree that the Rockets are strong favorites to prevail. Los Angeles continues to be without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, who are recovering from hamstring and oblique strains, respectively, and that will seriously restrict how potent its offense will be.
But a few non-stars have stepped up for Los Angeles ever since Doncic and Reaves got hurt, and, of course, the team still has LeBron James, who instantly reverted to being L.A.'s main superstar and did so seamlessly. There is still a real possibility that the Lakers could pull off an upset, especially since they will have home-court advantage.
Rockets coach Ime Udoka admitted that his team will have to work hard to knock out James and crew.
"For us, obviously it's fresh that we lost two games to them recently and then kind of flipped the switch since then," Udoka said. "Had a really good game against them on Christmas and obviously (we) know they're injured, but quality players across the board⊠It's still the NBA, they have some really great players there. We'll have our hands full."
The Lakers won the season series versus Houston two games to one, with both their wins coming at Toyota Center in Texas. This will be billed as a matchup between James and Kevin Durant, two of the NBA's greatest players of the last 15 years, and it will be the first time they have met in the playoffs since 2018. Back then, James was in his final season with the Cleveland Cavaliers, while Durant was a member of the Golden State Warriors.
It will also be the first time since 2020 that L.A. and Houston will meet in the postseason. That year, James' men dispatched a Rockets team led by James Harden and Russell Westbrook in five games en route to the NBA championship.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Rockets coach Ime Udoka: 'We'll have our hands full' versus Lakers
Q&A
What date do the Rockets and Lakers start their playoff series?
The playoff series between the Rockets and Lakers begins on Saturday, April 18.
Why are the Lakers considered underdogs against the Rockets?
The Lakers are seen as underdogs due to injuries to key players Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, which significantly weakens their offense.
When was the last time LeBron James and Kevin Durant faced each other in the playoffs?
LeBron James and Kevin Durant last faced each other in the playoffs in 2018.
